Wendener Hütte
Encyclopedia
Wendener Hütte is an old ironworks
and hammer mill. As that it is a cultural monument to the beginnings of industrialization. It is located near Wenden (Sauerland) and open to visitors.
, in North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
was favoured by deposits of iron ore and heavy spar as well as an abundance of water and woods. Wendener Hütte was founded in 1728 close to the village of the same name near Wenden at a stream of the name Bigge.
The founders where Peter and Johann Ermert from Betzdorf
to whom the Elector Clement August, Archbishop of Cologne, had given a concession.
Some years later Wendener Hütte came into possession of the Remy family which counts among the pioneers of the German iron industry.
In 1774 the first hammer capable of refining iron into steel was added to Wendener Hütte. The steel it produced was of a qualitiy that allowed it to be sold at the Rotterdam steel market.
The change from charcoal powered furnaces to coal powered ones in the Ruhr Area
as well as a new rail line from Siegen
to Hagen
started the demise of iron processing in the region. In 1866 Wendener Hütte was shut down.
All these documents are now kept at Westfälischen Wirtschaftsarchiv in Dortmund. The body of papers comprises 699 numbers from five periods.
Documents include journals and contracts from the time of Wendener Hütte in possession of Ermert family and account books and journals from the years when Remy family owned the ironworks. Furthermore there are letters and detailed construction plans, floor plans, sketches, price comparison to English merchandise and other papers.
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
and hammer mill. As that it is a cultural monument to the beginnings of industrialization. It is located near Wenden (Sauerland) and open to visitors.
History
The birth of a small scale iron processing industry in the district of OlpeOlpe (district)
Olpe is a Kreis in the south-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Märkischer Kreis, Hochsauerland, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Altenkirchen, Oberbergischer Kreis.- History :...
, in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
was favoured by deposits of iron ore and heavy spar as well as an abundance of water and woods. Wendener Hütte was founded in 1728 close to the village of the same name near Wenden at a stream of the name Bigge.
The founders where Peter and Johann Ermert from Betzdorf
Betzdorf
Betzdorf may refer to:*Betzdorf, Luxembourg, a village and municipality in Luxembourg*Betzdorf, Germany, a town, municipality and Verbandsgemeinde in Germany*Betzdorf...
to whom the Elector Clement August, Archbishop of Cologne, had given a concession.
Some years later Wendener Hütte came into possession of the Remy family which counts among the pioneers of the German iron industry.
In 1774 the first hammer capable of refining iron into steel was added to Wendener Hütte. The steel it produced was of a qualitiy that allowed it to be sold at the Rotterdam steel market.
The change from charcoal powered furnaces to coal powered ones in the Ruhr Area
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
as well as a new rail line from Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
to Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
started the demise of iron processing in the region. In 1866 Wendener Hütte was shut down.
The site
Wendener Hütte consists of 7 buildings in all: a residential building, a former horse stable, a coach-house, a casting room with Möllerboden and furnace, a boiler house, a store-room and a hammer-mill.The museum
The complete site, supported and run by Museumsverein Wendener Hütte e.V., is open to visitors from April to October. Guided tours can be booked.Archive
What's so special about Wendener Hütte is not only that it is exceptionally well preserved but that a treasure trove of documents relating to its history and the history of manufacturing and commerce in the greater area and beyond exists.All these documents are now kept at Westfälischen Wirtschaftsarchiv in Dortmund. The body of papers comprises 699 numbers from five periods.
Documents include journals and contracts from the time of Wendener Hütte in possession of Ermert family and account books and journals from the years when Remy family owned the ironworks. Furthermore there are letters and detailed construction plans, floor plans, sketches, price comparison to English merchandise and other papers.